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11/06/2006: "I Hate Salespeople"
I don't know about you, but it happens to me whenever I walk into a
department store, which is why I try to avoid them altogether.
"May I help you, sir?" the salesperson asks. "No thanks, just looking," I
say. "We have some great deals going on right now!" says the salesperson.
"Yes, I see," I say, getting irritated. "Well, if there's anything I can do
to help, please let me know," the salesperson says. "Thank you," I say,
feeling a little harassed at this point.
It's even worse at a national electronics store chain where they attack you
as the sliding glass doors open. "Welcome to ----, Sir!" I hate this
because it forces me to be polite and reply with "Thank you." Unlike many
shoppers of the feminine persuasion and some men as well, shopping isn't a
euphoric experience for me. I want to get in and out with my anti-social
bearings and crankiness intact. I usually know what I'm looking for. When
you actually NEED help ... that's when NO ONE is around! Recently, I was in
this store, minding my own business, when a worker bee (sorry, "sales
associate"), accompanied by his questionably competent manager approached.
The worker bee guy turned around and looked at me as I was scrutinizing cds
and quickly whispered, "Sorry, I have to do this..." then, he said loudly,
"CAN I HELP YOU SIR?" Normally, I would've been irritated, but I had to
laugh to myself this time. "I'm okay, thanks," I said. In addition to
trying to get people to buy stuff, salespeople also have to spew the company
line. At some point during any shopping experience, I always remember that
this is all part of the game. You can't play baseball anywhere without the
ball and you can barely shop anywhere without getting thrown a sales pitch.
We live in a consumer society and guess what? Sales, promotion and
marketing come with the deal. Foul!
It's so ironic because now, I'm on the other side of the counter. Now, I've
got a product that I'm trying to sell. My crankiness has done a 360 and
it's smacking me right in the face. My first ever book, "ART IN KING SIZE
BEDS: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL," is now available on AuthorHouse.Com and will
soon be on Amazon.Com and Barnes & Noble.Com. Like a joke bungled by John
Kerrey, Karma is now doing the Irish Jig before my very eyes. Before you
assume this essay is a shameless plug (which it sorta is), stay with me.
Now that I'm a salesman (ugh! that's creepy), I've come to realize that
promotion, salesmanship and marketing are almost everything. I think
they're really what separate successful artists in every genre from ones who
aren't so successful. Look at artists like Damien Hirst and Julian
Schnabel. They're superb marketers and promoters. Some people call them
"sell outs." I call them smart. There are so many talented artists out
there, yet the reality is they SUCK when it comes to promoting their own
product. Look guys, I know you don't like being salespeople and getting out
there and pushing your work, but it's simply the way things are done in our
21st-century wired world. I've spoken with quite a few artists who seem to
think they're going to be "discovered." Good luck! I think the best thing
that any of us can do is to "DISCOVER YOURSELF" and get busy.
If I hadn't discovered myself, I never would've written, "ART IN KING SIZE
BEDS: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL" (Authorhouse.Com). Before I wrote the book, I
didn't think my thoughts mattered. Now, I think they matter enough for me
to not only put them in print, but to also get out there and promote my
book. If I don't do it, who will? Sure, you can hire someone to do
promotion for you, which I have. However, no one shares the same passion
you have when it comes to you, your vision and your art. YOU HAVE TO GET
OUT THERE. Promoting my book, which I'm currently, constantly doing, is the
most challenging thing I've done in my life so far. Basically, I'm asking
people to spend their hard-earned money on something that I've created. Who
am I to ask people to do that? I'm no Damien Hirst. I'm no John Grisham.
I'm just an average Joe trying to get people to appreciate art like I do
(and buy my book). Still, the truth is undeniable. Successful artists, pop
stars, writers and businesspeople know the value of promotion. They MAKE
TIME for it. Whether or not they have REAL talent is irrelevant. It
shouldn't be irrelevant, but it is. The fact of the matter is people have
to be prodded to do practically anything, particularly spend their
hard-earned money ... that's even assuming they have measurable disposable
income. "SELL IT!" has become much of the world's mantra. I'm not saying
that's good, it just IS. In short, most people aren't clairvoyant. They
don't know what you've got until you alert them. How you alert them is up
to you.
I still hate salespeople, but now that I'm walking in their shoes (which I
bought, literally), I can be a little more sympathetic. You can view
promotion and marketing as bullcrap, pain in the ass endeavors or you can
see them as part of your exciting, artistic adventure. Actually, I see it
as both. I don't know how well my book will sell, but I'm promoting the
hell out of it. ("Art In King Size Beds: A Collector's Journal"
AuthorHouse.Com) It deserves no less and it's really up to me.
Kudos to you hardworking salespeople out there. You definitely earn your
money, but I swear, if you approach me and ask, "May I help you?" I'm going
to hit the roof.
MICHAEL CORBIN IS A WRITER AND AVID ART COLLECTOR
Replies: 21 Comments
on Wednesday, November 8th, Renaldo said
I'd like to meet a marketer named Art. I'd take him to a museum, hang him on the wall, criticize him and leave.
on Wednesday, November 8th, jose said
I've always been a bit weary of fame myself. I can understand where some of the analogies below are coming from but I really don't think they apply to the artist and the project he sets out to build. Reach the fame stage and artistic vision risks becoming blurred – reach it too soon and chances are you’ll shine for a decade, if lucky, than wither away. Fame is not what I would say I aim for, but rather a solid and coherent body of work that may withstand the test of time and passing fads. And I certainly don’t agree that by stating that an artist does not seek fame he is revealing lack of gumption or jealousy towards the fame others seem to be swimming in. Those are treacherous waters and from what I can witness from those I see swimming them here I am convinced that the costs [human and otherwise] are not covered by the benefits reaped.
on Wednesday, November 8th, Andrew said
Yes.
on Wednesday, November 8th, Matt said
Hi Andrew,
What I mean to say is that we all sell things in our everyday life. For a lot of us it is the art that we make (I love it when I sell a piece), for others it's their daily tasks in their work, etc. Some, like Hirst as an example, are very good at marketing and have gotten great success because of it.
Does that make sense?
on Wednesday, November 8th, Conner said
What makes me sick the most about Hirst is, it wasn't me! Earlier in these comments, a valid point was made that the quality of the masters paintings will always trump the marketeers. There is a lot of creativity involved in marketing. Given the chance and ability, I truly think any and every artist would chose big time fame over great paintings in the closet. Any artist who says they would not want to be Hirst, is jealous. Marketing is propaganda. Propaganda has always been art. Thus,the marketeers win. I think it sucks, but it's a fact of modern life!
on Wednesday, November 8th, Christiaan Nagel said
Ha funny
I'm from South Africa. We have a weak social infrastucture here in SA because of something called "apartheid."
So what we have now is high birth rates and uneducated people.
So now the poor and homeless have "created" a new kind of "job" CAR GAURDS!!
They stand next to the road at supermarkets, shop..everywhere, so as soon as you park they approuch you with "i'll look after your car". See this is because we have so many car robberies.dayly man.
So when you get back from your shopping or whatever you are kindly obliged to pay them for this service of "looking after your car"
The funny thing is these guys are so corrupt,that they are usaully they guys who steel and break into your car.
Now imagine the frustration of us hard working South Africans who are confronted with this situation at every stop,EVERY stop you make.
Good luck with the book
Check my art www.christiaannagel.blogspot.com
If you know of any people, as eager as yourself, who would assist me in selling my work let me know. I need agents!!!
on Wednesday, November 8th, Andrew said
Matt, why do you say 'artists like Hirst', and then right after that say 'we'? Not a criticism, just curious. I know that I as an artist love it when I sell, ten times more if it was a piece I felt great about having made.
on Wednesday, November 8th, Matt said
How true, how true that artists like Hirst are great marketers and promoters. I guess we're always working on selling something...
Hi Vick,
Any chance to get a link to your site? You have me very curious about your art. Thanks.
on Wednesday, November 8th, Michael Fornadley said
True the desire to climb any ladder fades with time, guess it would be called wisdom. All the fame, money and world acclaim will not prevent you from only occupting a wooden box and having claim to six feet of dirt. He who dies with the most toys, still dies, universal truth, Solomon calls it a "chasing of the wind". Solution to prevent dweling on our mortality would be start living better and I don't mean materialistic. Kind of like the Monty Python flick "Brian" at the end with the main character singing the song about the bright side of life hanging on the cross. Now lets all be "happy and not worry", how about those cliches.
on Tuesday, November 7th, Conner said
Gee Vick, jus' tryin' to have some fun. Whats with the anger? I think it's a valid issue how as time goes by, the desire for fame and fortune fades!
on Tuesday, November 7th, Vick said
I've sent an email to Absolute Arts asking them to eliminate the ability to make up fake names on the blogs. Let's see who is behind the anonymous potshots and let's see if the coward hiding behind the fake names has the courage to post under his real account once the ability to post under a fake name is eliminated. Light a fire under that, loser.
on Tuesday, November 7th, Conner said
I'm an old man myself Vick, just trying to light a fire under both our butts!
on Tuesday, November 7th, Conner said
So you are just some codgy old man, Vick? Oh come on, the only artist who does not want fame and fortune is an artist who missed the boat! Whats a matter, too tired to self promote? Is it nap time? When is arts and crafts time at the home, Vick?
on Tuesday, November 7th, Vick said
No, I am not disgruntled about not being famous and I hate sports analogies. I guess it boils down to how you measure success.
on Tuesday, November 7th, Conner said
An artist who does not want fame is the same as a football player who doesn't want to score a touchdown. The more famous you are, the more who see your work. Come on Vick, you're just disgruntled at never becoming famous after 25 years.
on Tuesday, November 7th, Andrew said
Vick, so you went to my web page. You may not like the photo, but what do you think of my work?
on Tuesday, November 7th, Vick said
Was it? Coming from someone with a picture of themselves over 20 years old on their webpage, I don't think so. In the end, smarm and flash will not win over authenticity.
on Tuesday, November 7th, Andrew said
It was a rhetorical question.
on Monday, November 6th, Vick said
I don't think I am under the delusion of a myth left over from elementary school. I think I have spent 25 years being an artist, looking at art, traveling, spending time in museums, reading about other artists...and have come to the conclusion that yes, I can make a living at it, and no, I am not interested in fame.
You can find the answer to your question by visiting the museum in Amsterdam with the "American" section. They have a deKooning in the same room as a Schnabel and a Fischl, a grouping you'd never see in America. The deKooning blows the other 2 out of the water and calls them out for the artistic weaklings they are. Let's see how it all plays out 50 years from now. The true masters will rise by virtue of their work and it might well not happen in their life time. The Jeff Koons approach to art and marketing is a worthless pursuit in my opinion.
on Monday, November 6th, Andrew said
Yeah, Vick, but how did he become famous? Did someone discover him? That's the myth we believed when we were in elementary school. The truth is, he worked at it, and spent only the other half of his time in the studio.
on Monday, November 6th, Vick said
Julian Schnabel will never be my role model. He is a pompous airbag with meaningless art. He is the icon of that whole 1980's bloated art marketing period where style, chutzpah and flash won over substance.
Artists do have to learn how to effectively document their work. A realistic goal of about 4-6 galleries should sell enough to make a living at it. 4-6 galleries spread over the whole US is an achievable goal. Beyond that, what is it worth? Getting lots of reviews in Art Forum? Look back to issues 10 years ago--how many of those people are still getting reviews? Also, the more "hot" you are, the less time you are spending in your studio. You are off doing lectures, attending openings, applying for prestigious grants, etc. It becomes more about the fame game and less about the art.
Robert Raushenberg is my role model. An artist with a meaningful body of work and a sucessful career. He did some really interesting collaborations over the years, like a performance piece I saw at BAM about 20 years ago where he collaborated with the Trisha Brown dance troupe and Laurie Anderson. He now lives in Florida, in a beautiful location and keeps a low profile except for the fact he funded a gallery space at a little community college near where he lives. He uses his money to help other artists. He is as big as they come and he chooses to spend his time making art. That is the real goal of a successful artist in my view.
